According to the newspaper, before the match at Lord’s, he delivered specially ordered
two Pakistan players to intentionally not spheres, by exceeding the fold, as they really
enthusiastically.
You did so well at the moment, which he demonstrated on Thursday and Friday. Mr Majeed
claims alleged that by tipping off syndicates to place “bets on the ground” and could make
millions of pounds.
He said more serious that he could arrange to throw players Test cricket and One-Day
Internationals, it is alleged.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal that Mr Majeed, who has as a property tycoon and football club
owner, thousands of pounds in unpaid bills and left a number of companies that have concluded
in his wake.

Keywords: Majeed, Mazhar Majeed, Pakistan vs England, match-fixing, no-balls, Pakistan players,

arrest, Scotland yard, investigation

At 65-inches in diameter and with a depth of just 90mm, is this 3D Ready plasma the ultimate flatscreem TV? It certainly looks the part, but if you’re going to spend this kind of money on anything it should be faultless.

And all its high tech features and plasma brilliance, there are a few issues that take the shine off this beast of a screen.

It’s huge size is obvious, but this 50kg package has gubbins galore; both Freeview HD and Freesat HD tuners star alongside USB recordings (to external HDD drives), THX certification, Infinite Black Pro, Intelligent Frame Creation Pro (to smooth-out Blu-ray) and, of course, the star turn: compatibility with Panasonic’s own – and now industry-standard – Full HD 3D TV system.

That latter requires a 3D Blu-ray player, and we’d suggest you go for either Panasonic’s DMP-BDT100 or DMP-BDT300 to keep remote controls to a minimum. Which brings us to our first criticism of the TX-65VT20; its remote is identical to those delivered with Panasonic’s ?500 LCD TVs – shouldn’t there be something a bit flashier at this price point?

Connectivity brings up another (albeit tiny) bone of contention; the set’s two USB slots are too close together. Attach the in-the-box wireless LAN adaptor (DY-WL10) to one of them and the other is rendered unusable.

Other connectivity includes a HDMI input, a CI slot, two USB ports, headphones and a SD Card slot on the TV’s side panel. The rear houses three HDMI inputs, Component video, Composite video, two Scart, PC (VGA), optical audio and analogue audio ins and outs. Usefully, one of those HDMI ports features audio return, so you can easily take audio from the TV’s tuners out to a compatible amp.

After swapping between the adaptor and a USB stick we sussed-out that the TX-65VT20 can play just a small selection of files from a USB stick or SD Card (JPEG, DivX, MP3 and M4A) and can only stream JPEG, MP3 and WMA music files from a networked PC (using the DLNA standard) – so no room for DivX HD and MKV files.

Media playback is nothing on Viera Cast, which the TX-65VT20 natively hosts. This super-quick service is investigated in other Panasonic reviews, but we’ll say here that this version includes (among a few too many German and Czech news apps) Twitter, Eurosport, Skype (if you buy a Panasonic TY-CC10W Skype HD camera/microphone) and AceTrax. The latter delivers movies if you register the TV with an online AceTrax account, though the choice of movies isn’t exactly exhaustive. New releases like Clash of the Titans (?3.49 to rent/?10.99 to buy) sit alongside classics such as The Matrix (?2.49/?6.99), but there’s no HD or 3D content.

Ah yes, 3D. We were supplied with a Panasonic 3D Blu-ray player and a 3D copy of Ice Age 3, the latter containing some incredibly impressive 3D effects. Using one of the two pairs of 3D glasses that come with the TX-65VT20, we tried hard to see what difference the “3D edge smoother” did, but at least Panasonic does provide some picture settings dedicated to 3D. It all works automatically for 3D Blu-ray – as it should – though if you plan to get Sky’s 3DTV service some manual tweaking will be in order; there are several picture modes and different 3D types (including Sky’s side-by-side format) to choose from.

What we did notice during Ice Age 3 is that although still images look sharp and in 3D, fast-moving pictures do blur – a lot. For example, during a shot where a character makes a gesture, does a somersault, then looks into the camera, the somersault is blurry and indistinct. Either side of the fast action, the 3D effects are smashing, with some incredible depth of field that really does bring backgrounds to life, though because of the glasses 3D fare appears relatively dimly-lit, which has repercussions for colour vibrancy and less-than-pure white.

The 3D glasses, meanwhile, need a redesign; slightly fiddly to operate (the glasses need to be switched-on and permanently communicate with the screen to synchronise the shutters on each lens), some reflections creep into the sides and they are uncomfortable. How uncomfortable depends on the size of your nose (the smaller, the more painful in our extensive tests!), but there are two types of nose guards and a lanyard with each pair just in case you want to look even more ridiculous.

This review has zoomed-in on a few negatives so far, but let’s not get carried away; away from the novelties of online networking and 3DTV, the TX-65VT20 is one of the finest flatscreen TVs around. Built using Panasonic’s NeoPDP technology, this top-draw plasma is more versatile and more impressive than any big screen LCD/LED TV we’ve seen.

Switch to the THX preset and 2D Blu-ray is stunning; lush colours and fine detailing dominate, with no need for the extra smoothness offered by that Intelligent Frame Creation frame insertion tech – invented to cure LCD TVs of their motion blur. Such problems don’t affect this plasma, which is also swimming in true-to-life black, again, unlike LCD (hence the LED backlighting idea).

We beat the plasma drum for two very good reasons, both demonstrated in spades by the TX-65VT20; Blu-ray and HD may not look their brightest, but they do look their best, while fast-moving games and standard definition fare are clean and free of artefacts. You won’t get these kind of highs – or versatility – on LCD TVs. Add some powerful speakers and, despite a few rough edges, the TX-65VT20 is something very special.?

Verdict:

Uncomfortable 3D glasses, a cheap remote and some underwhelming digital media efforts aside, the TX-65VT20 is the most impressive big screen around; there are issues around 3D picture quality (and content), but its versatility and skill with Blu-ray and Freeview HD/Freesat HD make this all-encompassing plasma unbeatable in a high-end home cinema environment.

Tags:
Home Cinema Televisions 3DTV Plasma televisions Freeview HD Freesat Panasonic Panasonic TX-65VT20

Panasonic TX-65VT20 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:49:35 +0100

Pocket-lint : Latest Reviews

There used to be a time when you could get away strumming your heart out to an air guitar to get you through a bored weekend, but today’s punk rock kids want something gadgety.?In steps the Paper Jamz guitar, a string-less, paper replica of a guitar that allows you to play three songs by pretending to strum along to the music.

Available in five different styles with a range of different songs loaded on them, the Paper Jamz guitars work by simply touching the surface.?You place your fingers on the fingerboard and strum your other hand across the pretend strings to play. By placing different fingers on the frets, you will produce either a major, minor or seventh chord.

In practice, it works, although unless you are under 12 it will become tiresome very quickly.

There are three different modes: Perfect Play, where the tune will automatically play, so even if you don’t know it you can still play along. Rhythm mode, which plays the backing track but you’ll need to strum perfectly, and finally FreeStyle mode, where you can pretend you’re Jimmy Page or Slash and just go nuts.

For those interested the whole experience is based on something called Active Graphics Technology and that means the technology is in the printed surface of the guitar reacting to the player’s skin as you press against it, rather than actually having to press dedicated buttons.

With over 30 chords to learn there is plenty to keep the kids happy although we’ve already found that it can become incredibly repetitive – luckily there is a headphone jack so they can bore themselves, not you.

The biggest question, however, is going to be which guitar you go for. Not only are the designs different, but the song choices are different too with five guitars only offering three tracks a piece.

Tracks include everything from Two Princes, to All Star, as well as Born To Be Wild, but you won’t be able to pick and choose, you’ll get what’s on the design you buy and you just know that’s going to cause a headache come Christmas time.

As for volume, it will go loud, but only really loud enough for you to enjoy rather than an?impromptu?concert. For that you’ll need an optional extra – the Paper Jamz amp.

Verdict:

Paper Jamz is pretty good fun and at ?25 quid it will fill the school holidays. How much it will fill the time after those school holidays is down to whether or not your kids are into music.

This is your classic Christmas stocking present; great for a week, but unlikely to entice you much more after that.

Still, while the fun lasts, you’ll have a blast.

Tags:
Dad Toys paper jamz WowWee

Paper Jamz originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:00:00 +0100

Pocket-lint : Latest Reviews

I was for affordable, high quality beds, the old, that my father could replace the current with the search. And it was really hard to look for beds, not because there are not enough good products, but because a lot of nice pieces to choose from.

I am especially eyeing on some rustic furniture, because they are looking very comfortable and invites anyone to lie only either relax or to go to Dreamland looks. The rustic beds look really called family and the feeling of heat.

Some of the rustic furniture such as desk, table is use drawers, doors, locks, racks for some of the additional purposes. It can also be used to hold objects in a convenient height for the work will be through the use of horizontal surfaces. The furniture in the fashion is a part of human experience, since the development of non-nomadic cultures. been used by the great efforts of people, businesses and government eco-friendly furniture is increasing day by day.

These types of shutters are basically very old and the capacity in which they for centuries in Asia by Japan and other countries. almost all common bamboo blinds no blackout by the light of day. Many people call more often as’shades than’blinds. This means that you think carefully about where to place these blinds. You do not necessarily have in a room, want an example. You can also damaged by moisture, but can work well, such as blinds, they were processed and manufactured in the right way. In search of a new set of bamboo blinds, you can quickly discover that there are two different types, which are often sold. Stores, such as the name suggests, consists of tiny, are to be rolled out slate with a train by a chain. Fold in place of flat plates are thicker than usual role and blinds. Whatever you are depending on what you want to achieve and we look forward to your personal preferences.

To purchase either flat slats or blinds is very easy. Once you know the extent of the window, you can visit your local hardware store or a retailer of interior design. A popular option is now online blind sites that are on sale online. You have to order, but you will see that they are cheap and terribly unreasonable for most households. Finally, bamboo blinds are inexpensive and are ideal for home, looking for a tropical or Asian. There are two types – roller or flat slats – and perhaps also bought in local hardware stores or online. Do not forget the measure of the window, so you an accurate estimate to what extent this cost is obtained Blinds

There are a lot of reasons why all-in-one soundbars are fast replacing home cinema systems, and the HT-C7550W is one of them. Built around a superb Blu-ray player and featuring online content, a pair of wireless surround speakers and an iPod dock, this otherwise traditional 5.1 system’s first impressions are not good.

Comprising a tiny centre speaker, four surround speakers and a subwoofer, there’s an over reliance on black moulded plastic that will jar with almost all interiors. If you plan to use them in a dark room reserved only for your home cinema, so be it, but don’t think the HT-C7550W will look great in a magnolia-walled living room.

Even if you can swallow its bleak styling, there are lots of problems before a home cinema results. The main victim is time, and lots of it. After delicately unwrapping around fifty individual components from the vast polystyrene packaging, it took us around 2 hours to set-up the system. Halfway through attaching each plastic parking meter-esque speaker to more black plastic, a metal pole and an ugly base disc, a career change was loudly discussed.

The end result from a package that relies on around six screws per speaker that are slightly too big is an array of less-than-rigid speakers as flimsy as they initially looked; a decent screwdriver and some elbow grease is essential. The four surround speakers also don’t have flat bottoms, so can’t be put on a shelf; that “tall boy” look is inescapable.

The one small saving grace in an otherwise inflexible package is that the HT-C7550W isn’t actually difficult to construct – apart from those damned screws, that is. The rear of the Blu-ray player-come-amplifier is nicely labelled with coloured slots for each speaker cable, which does make connecting the speakers almost foolproof.

That unit outputs sound to the centre, left and right speakers, as well as to the subwoofer. It also sends rear channel audio to a separate receiver, a black box the size of a PlayStation One that can be plugged into the mains at the rear of a room; the two rear channel speakers are then attached from here, negating the need to trail cables across the lounge. To call this system wire-free would be a mistake, but clusters of cables at either end of a room is easier to stomach.

Away from the frustrating set-up, the HT-C7550W is an impressive – though slightly overpriced – home cinema system.

The Blu-ray player at its core gets a glowing mention; inside is 1GB of storage for BD Live downloads, a full roster of Samsung’s Internet@TV online content channels, All Share DLNA streaming (both of these features can work over wired Ethernet to a router, or through the included Wi-Fi USB dongle), a 15-second boot-up and an iPod/iPhone dock as an accessory.

A few more issues; the touch commands on the main unit’s front aren’t sensitive enough, and the disc tray closed of its own accord while we were trying to load a Blu-ray disc.

On the rear on the unit are Component video inputs, two HDMI inputs (so the unit can act as a switcher and take feeds from a set-top box and games console before outputting everything to a TV) and a HDMI output.

Most of these features are covered in Samsung Blu-ray player reviews elsewhere, though the iPod/iPhone dock is new to us. Consisting of a separate, wired iPod cradle that accepts – and charges – all iPhone models, it attaches to the rear of the Blu-ray unit. Once chosen as a source on the main menu, music, photos and videos stored on the iPod/iPhone are treated as if it was a USB stick or drive, with a simple file directory displayed on the TV screen; not particularly sophisticated, its inclusion in the package is certainly laudable.

The home cinema speakers themselves are easy to calibrate, with a small microphone placed in the seating position automatically adjusting the levels of each surround channel.

Performance-wise the HT-C7550W does a good job with multichannel movies and excels with music. There’s plenty of fine detailing, and though treble highs can sound a little bright, the front speakers generally create an involving and well-balanced sound field. The subwoofer isn’t the most precise we’ve heard, but the rear speakers are accurately driven by the wireless receiver and never drop out of range – in fact, they need no attention whatsoever.

The HT-C7550W’s Blu-ray player also impresses, with bold, nuanced colours and smooth judder-free playback; our only criticism is that the deck’s orientation makes it suitable only for a tabletop – it simply won’t fit on a rack.

Verdict:

Almost painful to unpack and construct, the HT-C7550W is why much simpler plug-and-play soundbars have done so well in recent years, but this package’s inclusion of a multi-functional Blu-ray player, iPod dock and wireless streaming will attract many – as will the wireless rear speakers. Sporting a cheap looking build quality and a slightly impractical Blu-ray player design, the HT-C7550W can only have niche appeal, but its detailed and powerful surround sound easily trumps a soundbar. If you’ve got the patience, the comprehensive HT-C7550W package can be rewarding, but the “all-in-one” tag makes this system sound more convenient than it is.

Tags:
Home Cinema Blu-ray players Home Cinema systems Samsung Samsung HT-C7550W

Samsung HT-C7550W Blu-ray home cinema system originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100

Pocket-lint : Latest Reviews

Were it not for one thing, Kane and Lynch: Dead Men might have been one of 2007′s most original and entertaining shooters. Some of us who played it loved it for its brave, gritty storyline, its tense, violent atmosphere, and just the fact that – for once – we had an action game that didn’t follow all the usual space marine/Saving Private Ryan/Call of Duty cliches. Instead, IO Interactive made a game that riffed on the crime thrillers of Tarantino, Tony Scott and Michael Mann, packed with terse, brutal firefights, realistic locations, and a healthy dollop of swearing and psychosis.

Unfortunately, Kane and Lynch had one problem that we just couldn’t overlook. Mediocre graphics can and will be forgiven. Painful, frustrating gameplay? Not so much. The cover system – somewhat important to a cover-based, third-person shooter – didn’t really work. The AI was flawed. Weapons were spectacularly inaccurate, to the point that you couldn’t really trust your crosshairs at any kind of range. Kane and Lynch was hideously frustrating, too, to the point that some sections needed inhuman levels of perseverance. It all dragged the game back from greatness.

Still, the sequel is IO’s chance to make things right, right? After all, all Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days needs to do is fix the issues while retaining all the good stuff, and we should be on to a winner.

Well, maybe not. The tragedy of Kane and Lynch 2 is that the overall feeling is the same as with the first game. It’s a brave, distinctive third-person shooter, practically bursting with potential, but at the same time it’s not actually always that much fun to play.

Good news first. Dog Days retains the harsh, gritty feel of its predecessor, and even amplifies it through the use of a very nifty, documentary-style shakey-cam effect, and some very nice filters that give it the look of cheap digital video, complete with colour artefacts and lens flare. It’s not far off the look of Michael Mann’s Miami Vice and Collateral movies, but shot by a twitchy youth with an iPhone. The visuals still have some faults when it comes to low-quality scenery textures, rubbery skin and ropey-looking characters, but the overall style is slicker and more coherent than in the notoriously up and down original.

The plot this time isn’t as strong, and the characterisation is nowhere near as sharp, but in both respects the game is still miles ahead of the likes of Army of Two. The game begins with the original’s criminal anti-hero, Kane, arriving in Shanghai to do one last job with his psychotic ex-colleague, Lynch. Both men are deeply dislikeable in their own way, but each has some shred of humanity to keep your interest. Strangely, the game makes the curious choice of having you play as the crazy Lynch instead of the more sympathetic Kane, though our protagonist has calmed down considerably for the sequel). The tale that follows isn’t a whole lot more than an excuse for a long series of shoot-outs, but it’s a reasonably well-written excuse with a couple of genuinely shocking moments.

Sadly, the actual shooting still isn’t as accomplished as it needs to be. Aiming remains worryingly imprecise, and while you could say that some of this comes down to realism, it’s a constant frustration that, while you’re struggling to nail the triad goon with your SMG ?- even when he’s sitting right in the middle of your crosshairs – he doesn’t seem to have the same problems hitting you. The cover system works better this time around, but still slips when it comes to manoeuvring from one bit of cover to another, and the sprint action can be a nightmare to activate. Enemy and allied AI is also much improved, with Kane providing more reliable backup than Lynch did in the first game, but there are still moments where sensible behaviour goes out the window. Dog Days offers decent gameplay, but when Gears of War 2 and Uncharted 2 have raised the bar for duck and cover gunplay, decent isn’t really good enough.

It’s not a disaster, by any means. Better weapons in the second half of the game seem more accurate, and the action picks up accordingly. There are some fantastic set-piece sequences around crowded apartment blocks and abandoned ship-fitters, and a genuinely brilliant section where a naked, post-torture Kane and Lynch make a bid for freedom. At its best, Dog Days is raw, thrilling and edgy, with a strong grasp of shooter dynamics and a real desire to do something different, but there are just too many rough edges to ignore. Worst of all, a game that can easily be cracked within 5 hours still manages to feature levels that drag on 30% longer than you’d like them to. ?35 for an accumulated 3 hours of fun isn’t anyone’s idea of good value.

Dog Day’s saving grace – as much as it has one – is its multiplayer. Not only is the single-player campaign more enjoyable when played through with a mate, but the main online mode, Fragile Alliance, is even better than it was in the first game. If you missed it before, you play as a member of a gang of crooks on a heist, and it’s your job to help eliminate the opposition, steal the goods and make it to the getaway car alive. The twist is that, along with AI controlled enemies, you also have to deal with your fellow criminals, who might turn traitor, kill you and run away with the loot at any time. Players killed in action return as cops, giving you a chance to get some sweet revenge on your murderer. The trick, then, when turning traitor is not to do it too early – you’ll end up with too many cops on your tail – but to do it early enough to grab a decent share of loot. Played well, it’s hugely enjoyable; arguably more so than the single-player game.

One problem with Fragile Alliance in Kane and Lynch: Dead Men was that – in many games – no players were brave enough to turn traitor. The new Undercover Cop mode gets around this by secretly assigning one player as (you guessed it) an undercover cop, practically ensuring that at least one player will turn traitor every time. On top of this the game also offers a straight deathmatch mode, Cops vs Robbers, though there are other games with better gunplay if you like that sort of thing.

Verdict:

There’s no getting past the fact that Dog Days is a disappointment, only occasionally living up to the potential of the first game, or the bold visual style of the new. For occasional moments it promises to soar above its average shooter status, only to come crashing down to earth with another over-extended section of uninspired cover-based gunplay. However, the multiplayer mode offers some consolation, with fun co-op and the still unique and interesting Fragile Alliance. Fans of the original might give it a look, but you can’t help wondering if this dog will ever have its day. ?

Tags:
Gaming Xbox 360 PS3 Square Enix Kane and Lynch Kane and Lynch 2 Dog Days Eidos

Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:03:41 +0100

Pocket-lint : Latest Reviews

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